Past, Present, & Future

Why is it always the shadow of the worst possible outcome that haunts our thoughts at 3:00 in the morning? The coulda-woulda-shouldas of life torture us with visions of everything that might go wrong or that we should have done better or that we are not good enough to achieve. The sense of impending doom that often accompanies this card is actually a climax of our habit of over-thinking the situation that has begun to build in the previous cards, but the good news is that the advent of nine often indicates that we are either nearing the end of a cycle or already there.

The power in this card is in the realization that the worst aspect of this current situation is your own fear and anxiety in regard to it, thus giving us the ability to change. Depending on its placement, the nine of swords reversed could indicate either that a period of grief and mourning is coming to an end, or that we are not quite ready to let go of our worries.

The Four Evangelists witness the emergence of a woman who symbolizes balance, beauty, light, and our planet itself. Here, we see all that is, ever was, and ever might be.

The World can speak to a completion and a success. It can ask us to see a larger picture, and to think in the macrocosm.

When we see this card, we may need to think about our own inner world, or our own place in the world.

When ill-dignified, our world may be turned upside-down. We may be hoping or waiting for something to be completed.

Head bent in contemplation, a woman holds one empty cup while two others have fallen to her side. There is an air of heartbreak, sadness, and regret. Because we are in the suit of cups, the sadness is often associated with the pain of lost love. This moment of change that is inherent in fives underscores the need to let go of something. However, the two cups that are standing and the manner in which she holds her hand to her chest can signify the hope of new possibilities. Once we have accepted our situation and processed our emotions, we can experience healing and renewal.

The hope as represented in the two standing cups is augmented when the entire card is read as a reversal. Renewal and recovery are now underway; we are no longer focused exclusively on regret and remorse.